


Family Feud - part 4 of 4

by awriterfandf



Series: Sailor Moon - an alternate reality [47]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), Girls und Panzer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28823073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awriterfandf/pseuds/awriterfandf
Summary: Continued from part 3.
Series: Sailor Moon - an alternate reality [47]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095488





	Family Feud - part 4 of 4

**Family Feud - part 4 of 4**

**Chapter 18:**

"Oh oh" Yuuichirou muttered, frowning at the television. "Looks like our girls' Panzer and Erwin's tank will be getting lots of company soon. They may be in trouble."

The on-screen shot now showed four Tiger II's rumbling cautiously through the small town, less than four blocks from the parking garage where Luna and Hippo teams were still stopped. Their huge guns swung slowly from side to side, seeking out the two irksome Ooarai tanks that had dared to disable the Tiger hiding within the shell of the empty store.

"Hai. Big trouble" Taro murmured. "Those heavy tanks are serious business, Yuuichirou-chan."

"Perhaps the girls should flee" Michiru suggested. "While they still have the opportunity to escape."

"Run away? Our _Makoto?_ I don't see it happening, Michi-chan" Haruka chuckled. "She never backs down from a fight, no matter how heavily the odds are stacked against her. And that other commander, the girl who always wears the officer's cap, has a very confident attitude too from what I gathered watching the anime. They aren't going anywhere."

"Hai... I suppose not" the professional violinist smiled beneath her wavy teal hair. "I do hope they are able to triumph against those four rather dangerous-looking machines."

"They will" Yuji pronounced. "My Mako and Erwin will find a way."

. . . . .

Having quickly worked out a makeshift plan, Makoto and Riko buttoned down their top hatches and briefed their crews, waiting for what both girls knew would likely become their final engagement of the match.

"Usagi-chan, let Leopon and Turtle teams know we'll be standing our ground here in the garage" Makoto told the blonde. "Tell them we'll be trying to focus Kuromorimine's full attention on us. With any luck, they may be able to get a good shot or two at the engine compartments of those Tigers before they're attacked."

"Hai." Usagi picked up her microphone and smiled, "Don't look so worried, Mako-chan. It's not like we're trapped here by a bunch of Beryl's evil youma."

"No, it's Erika and four Tiger II's. To be honest, the way I feel about that girl right now, she and a youma are nearly one and the same to me."

While Usagi made the radio call, Makoto instructed her driver, "Minako-chan, our Panzer and Erwin's STuG will be taking one shot each at the lead Kuromorimine tank as soon as it comes into view at the intersection. After we fire, back us up the ramp as quick as you can. Erwin's driver will be reversing too, so make sure your tanks don't bump together."

"No problem, Mako-chan" the blonde reassured her. "But... won't that mean we'll be trapped on the second floor? Those Tigers will be waiting to blast us the instant we try to drive back down."

"All we need to do is distract them for a minute, buying enough time for Anzu and Satoko to arrive and take their first shots. It's risky, but we don't have any other good options." She waited for Usagi to finish sending her message, then told her, "Usagi-chan, we need to get all of those Tigers mad at us. _Really_ mad, so they maybe even become careless and drop their guard. That's where you come in."

 _"Me?"_ the odango-haired girl squeaked. "What can _I_ possibly do, Mako-chan?"

"The instant our Panzer starts backing up, but not before, I need you to rake the hulls of every enemy tank you can see with your machine gun. It won't even scratch them, but hopefully it'll annoy their crews enough to make them concentrate their full attention on taking us out. You'll only have a few seconds to do it, so aim well and make every bullet count."

 _"I have a machine gun?"_ Usagi gasped in surprise.

"You didn't know that?" Rei grumbled. "It's been right in front of your face all this time, baka! Didn't you notice the handle with the trigger on it?"

Usagi stared at the control. "Oh! _That's_ what that thing is for!" She giggled, "I thought it was just a fancy place to hang my headphones."

"We're doomed" the miko muttered.

"No. We're not finished yet, Rei-chan" Makoto stated. "After the other two Ooarai tanks get here and fire at the Tigers, there'll hopefully be enough confusion among the enemy ranks to give us and Erwin's STuG time for a safe second shot. Minako-chan, you need to-"

"I know!" Minako blurted. "We scoot down the ramp, Ami and Saemonza shoot, then we go back up again! Right, Mako-chan?"

"That's basically it" the brunette nodded. "Ami-chan, the lead Tiger will most likely be Erika's. Whatever else happens, that's the tank I want you to try to kill. I think you know why."

"Hai." The blue-haired gunner told her commander, "You aren't the only one of us carrying a grudge against Erika and Maho." The tone of Ami's usually soft, gentle voice took on a surprisingly hard edge. "I won't miss any shots, Mako-chan. Not today. I guarantee it."

Makoto grinned at the girl. "Good. Let's send a couple of rounds her way and wipe that smugness right off her face." A moment later, she heard the faint but distinctive clatter of multiple approaching tracks striking against pavement. "Minna, here they come. Let's do our best for Miho and make this crazy plan work."

. . . . .

Taking no chances after the shocking loss of Kuramorimine's first tank, Erika also stood beneath a tightly-closed hatch as her Tiger II prowled along the empty street, leading three other nearly-identical machines on a mission of revenge.

"We're approaching an open area, likely an intersection" she spoke to her crew. "An ideal location for an ambush from those two cowardly Ooarai teams. Gunner, be ready."

She ordered her driver to slow her tank further, allowing its powerful weapon more time to train on each of the dilapidated buildings they rumbled past.

"We're splitting into two groups" Erika radioed her squad. "Tiger two, follow me along the west side of the intersection. Tigers three and four, take the east side. Upon sighting those Ooarai tanks, send them to the scrap heap where they belong."

. . . . .

In the speeding Tiger P, its commander heard a warning from her driver. "Our engine is running really hot, Satoko. It may catch fire again unless we slow down."

"We can't, Tsuchiya. Luna and Hippo are in a real bind. We need to help them out immediately!"

Muttering to herself, Satoko shoved open her top hatch, grabbed a fire extinguisher in each hand and raised herself waist-high above the turret. Bending over the rear of her jostling tank as far as she could, the teen blasted the engine compartment with foam until both extinguishers ran dry. Tossing them aside, she retrieved two more and repeated the process.

Satoko scrambled back inside and pulled her hatch closed. "Did that help?'

"Hai. A little."

"Then keep the throttle open. We'll be at the rendezvous point in another minute."

. . . . .

Watching Satoko's acrobatics from inside Turtle team's Hetzer that now trailed close behind the once-again ailing Porsche Tiger, Anzu chuckled, "Momo, with all the practice she's getting, that girl will probably make a good fire chief someday."

. . . . .

With the rest of her team holding their collective breaths, Makoto watched the muzzle of a Tiger II's long gun barrel suddenly appear to one side of the parking garage's entrance, relieved to find it wasn't pointing directly at either of the Ooarai tanks.

"Not yet, Ami-chan... wait for it..."

The massive machine's hull followed, its turret beginning to rapidly rotate towards her Panzer as the enemy tank's commander spotted their prey and snapped an order to her gunner. A second Tiger II appeared closely behind and outside the first, also quickly bringing its weapon to bear.

_"Now, Ami-chan!"_

Both Makoto's Panzer IV and Riko's STuG let loose at the same instant, firing downward into the first Tiger's most vulnerable spot. The well-aimed rounds struck home, blowing the engine cover completely off the tank and mangling the powerplant beneath. A white flag sprang from atop its turret, though there was no time to celebrate its welcome appearance.

_"It's dead! Back us up, Minako-chan!"_

The pair of Ooarai tanks began reversing swiftly up the grade, while in the radio operator's seat, Usagi grimaced and pulled her machine gun's trigger, swinging the light-caliber weapon wildly from side to side.

 _"Ahhh! Take this!"_ the odango-haired girl screamed as her gun chattered like a loud sewing machine. " _Hai! Here, have some more!"_

Rei burst out laughing as she slid another round into the empty breech. "Usagi thinks she's Rambo now!"

"Shoot _higher_ , Usagi-chan!" Makoto yelled into her throat microphone. "Most of your rounds are hitting the street!"

"Oh! Hai!" The blonde corrected her aim and bullets began plinking off the second Tiger's thick armor.

The Kuromorimine heavy tank's long barrel thundered in reply, its shell cratering the ramp less than a meter in front of her retreating Panzer, fracturing the concrete with a deep, jagged hole and raining chunks of cement down upon the two Ooarai tanks.

Usagi released the machine gun's trigger and sat back, her eyes wide. " _Ohh! Minna, I think I made them really mad!"_

. . . . .

**Chapter 19:**

"Report coming in from Erwin's STuG, Miho!" Saori spoke into her intercom. "Hippo and Luna have disabled one Tiger II, but they're trapped on the second floor of the parking garage under heavy shelling!"

Yukari cheered upon hearing of the loss of a Kuromorimine tank, and her commander smiled, but Miho knew what her friends were about to face. "The three remaining Tigers are going to tear that garage apart" she sighed. "I hope the reinforcements I asked for arrive soon."

She continued her vigil at the rectangular viewing slots within her Panzer's cupola, waiting patiently for the tanks of Rabbit, Duck and Mallard teams to arrive at their ordered destination point and feeling deeply puzzled by her sister's seeming unwillingness to close and engage her lone tank in battle. "I wonder why Maho is holding back?"

. . . . .

The parking garage had quickly become a living nightmare for the two teams trapped inside, as large-caliber shells from Erika's Tigers repeatedly pounded the concrete structure with volley after volley of large-caliber munitions.

"It's getting really loud in here!" Makoto exclaimed as yet another shell disintegrated a section of the structure's crumbling wall, filling the partially-enclosed space around the stopped Ooarai tanks with thick choking clouds of dust and lethal fragments of flying concrete. She felt her Panzer shake beneath her feet from the unending barrage. "Minna, if this keeps up much longer, the floor we're sitting on could collapse! We might have to make a run for it and take our chances outside!"

"At least your plan seems to be working, Mako-chan!" Rei yelled back above the din. "Maybe a little too well! All three Tigers have to be shooting at us now!"

"That Tiger we hit wasn't the tank you wanted us to knock out first, Mako-chan" Ami turned in her seat and told her commander. "It had a short radio antenna. Erika's and Maho's Tigers have longer ones."

"Damn! That means Erika is still out there causing trouble!" the tall brunette muttered. "That's it!" she growled. "We're knocking out her Tiger today if it's the _last_ thing we do!"

The teens then heard two more shots fired, sharp cracks that sounded somewhat more distant than those of the nearby Tigers' heavy 8.8cm KwK guns. A moment later a new sound reached their ears, a loud metallic bang as the engine of one of the Tiger II's exploded.

"Minna, the cavalry has finally arrived!" Makoto said as the shelling of the parking garage abruptly ceased. "And not a moment too soon!"

"I think Momo and Hoshino have their first kill of the match, Mako-chan" Ami agreed. "Now it's Kuromorimine's two tanks against Ooarai's four!"

"I like those odds" her commander grinned back. "Minako-chan, it's time we reengage. Take us down the ramp!"

"Hai hai! Here we go!" Minako released the clutch and began steering her tank around piles of rubble that littered the garage floor.

But as their Panzer rumbled towards the exit, two more shots from the remaining Tigers and sharp clangs of rounds striking armor soon brought unwelcome news on the radio. "Turtle team is out, Mako-chan!" Usagi groaned. They got hit twice before they could drive clear!"

"Keep going, Minako-chan! We're finishing this skirmish here and now!" Makoto ordered.

"Hai!"

Luna's Panzer IV and Hippo's STuG trundled down the crumbling debris-filled ramp as fast as they dared, with both teenage gunner's index fingers resting on their triggers.

More shots rang out as the Tiger P and one of the Tigers traded volleys, both rounds striking their targets' thick front armor.

Reaching the bottom of the ramp, Riko sat hunched behind her periscope's twin eyepieces. "Tiger dead ahead, Saemonza!"

" _Firing on it!"_

This time, three shells flashed across the intersection. The third Tiger's heavy round impacted the beleaugered Tiger P at the collar of its turret, disabling the tank moments after Hoshino pulled her trigger.

But the troublesome prototype machine would not be denied its due, when its shell and that of Riko's STuG finished the Tiger off with simultaneous strikes on both the front and rear of its armor plating.

"Good kill, Saemonza!" Riko praised her gunner, but as Caesar scrambled to reload, the fourth and last operational Tiger, bearing a tell-tale long antenna, opened up on it from close range. The STuG abruptly stopped dead on the ramp, its white flag pushing upward through the rubble that littered the machine's top deck to end the History Girls' day.

"It's just us and Erika now!" Minako blurted. "Ami-chan, turn your gun to the left!" The blonde floored her tank's accelerator, sending the Panzer rocketing past the disabled Hippo team and thundering out of the parking garage. "You may have the bigger gun, but you aren't going to outdrive me! No chance! _Nobody out-drives Aino Minako!"_

Minako kept the pedal hard down, pulling back on her left control stick to swing her Panzer in an tight arc around Erika's Tiger. "I'm going to drive around you until you're dizzy _and_ dead!" she vowed. "It's get-even time!"

. . . . .

" _Shoot that Panzer!"_ Erika screamed at her gunner, stunned from the loss of the three other supposedly far-superior Kuromorimine tanks in her charge. _"Kill it now!"_

"I can't track it, Erika!" the girl operating their gun wailed. "They're circling us faster than our turret can keep up!"

. . . . .

Minako glanced through her side viewport as she drove, adjusting her Panzer's speed to keep out of the line of fire of the long barrel of the Tiger's frantically-pivoting weapon.

Ami had quickly realized what her driver intended and soon had her short-barreled gun pointing at ninety degrees to her tank's hull, launching her first round into the massive Kuromorimine tank's exposed flank from scarcely ten meters away.

"Reloaded!" Rei yelled a few seconds later.

Ami promptly fired again, striking her target's turret this time, but the Tiger stubbornly refused to die.

"Keep it up!" Makoto encouraged her gunner. "Hit 'em where it hurts, Ami-chan!"

. . . . .

Erika felt a sinking sensation deep in the pit of her stomach. "If we can't shoot them, we need to break out of this ridiculous trap! Floor it!"

Her driver obediently did so, but it was too little too late. The Panzer IV with the gold crescent moon emblazoned on its turret curved around until it passed directly behind the fleeing Tiger.

"This one's for Yukari" Ami softly spoke from behind her gunsight as she squeezed the trigger one final time. The blue-haired girl's third expertly-aimed shot did the trick, penetrating the Kuromorimine tank's fast-revving engine and setting it ablaze.

"There's the flag!" Makoto confirmed, a wide grin spreading across the ponytailed girl's pretty face. "Minako-chan, you can stop circling now. Erika is officially out of the match! We did it!"

The crew of Luna team's Panzer erupted in wild cheering, while unknown to them, in an old house not far from Nerima the cheers filling the living room were even louder and more enthusiastic.

"I _knew_ my Mako and our girls would make it!" Yuji proudly exclaimed, leaping from the sofa amid a cloud of popcorn. "Ooarai wins _that_ engagement!"

"I honestly wasn't convinced they'd manage to survive this long" Haruka admitted to the boy with a wry chuckle. "But with Minako's driving and Ami's gunnery, that last Tiger didn't stand a chance!"

. . . . .

Back at the intersection, Minako reluctantly eased the gas pedal up and ended her turn, allowing her Panzer to slow down. "I'm _so_ _hot_ for lots more pedal-to-the-floor driving, Mako-chan! Where do we go next?"

"Don't get _too_ hot, Momma Minako" Rei teased the girl. "You won't be seeing your Taro for a while yet."

The blonde driver giggled, "But when I do... all I can say is that when we go home, I hope my sugar muffin is well-rested and ready for plenty of girl and boy love-love action! Because that's exactly what I'm going to give him!"

Makoto chuckled, shaking her head at Minako's seemingly endless supply of libido. "Usagi-chan, radio Miho with the news" Luna's commander spoke, still grinning happily. "Ask her where we're needed."

"Hai. Making the call, Mako-chan" Usagi replied. She laughed as she changed frequencies, "I hope I get the chance to fire my machine gun again! That was fun!"

"This engagement cost us three good tanks, but now the score is even" the miko sitting behind her smiled. "Ooarai still has a chance to win today's match."

"And win it we will!" her brunette commander nodded confidently. "Erika's done for, and next it's Maho's turn!"

Makoto opened her hatch and stood with her upper body above the cupola, surveying the carnage of disabled machines scattered haphazardly around the intersection. "What a mess!" She spotted Leopon's Tiger P and watched Satoko stand on its rear hull, spraying the contents of still another extinguisher into her crippled machine's smouldering engine compartment.

'That thing's got a really strong gun, but it's on fire more often than the fireplace at my house is in wintertime' she thought.

Satoko smiled and waved at Makoto as Luna team's Panzer drew near, then gestured with her empty extinguisher at Erika's Tiger, its engine engulfed in flames and its crew bailing out in panic from the tank's open hatches.

The Leopon commander laughed, "Pffft! Amateurs!"

. . . . .

**Chapter 20:**

"Luna team is asking for instructions, Miho. Do you want them to meet up with us?"

"I'm still worried about that extra tank Saunders has, Saori. If it's able to break free from Pravda's T34s and enter the treeline to our east, it could threaten Rabbit, Mallard and Duck teams in their hiding place. That would spoil the little surprise we have waiting for Maho. Tell Makoto's team to assist Pravda for now, and let Katyusha know Luna is on the way."

Saori smiled at her friend. "Will do, Miporin."

"Your sister isn't falling for the trap you set, Nishizumi-dono" Yukari fretted. " I thought those Tigers would've attacked us long ago."

"She's definitely thinking far outside the box today, Yukari. I wonder how my mother would feel about Maho breaking so severely with her long-established Kuromorimine doctrine." The Anglerfish commander once again held her binoculars to the front-facing viewing slit near the top of her Panzer IV's cupola. " _Something_ is happening. I don't see the second Kuromorimine Tiger anymore, just Maho's tank."

"Your sister's tank is still staying well out of our gun's range, Miho" Hana murmured. "It's almost like they know what you're trying to do. I have an unpleasant feeling about this."

"Me too" Miho replied with a frown. "It's like I'm missing something really important." She sighed, "We may have to force the issue this time, Hana, and that's the _last_ thing I want to try against my old school."

. . . . .

Inside the cupola of the Kuromorimine Tiger bearing the number 212 on its turret, Maho was also studying her enemy with high-powered binoculars. She spoke on her tank's intercom, "Minna, I'm certain that if we do not attempt engagement with Ooarai soon, Miho will make use of those three other Ooarai tanks she has hiding in that grove of trees to her left. She'll likely plan on forming up with them for a frontal assault." The elder Nishizumi sister laughed despite the foul mood she was in, "It's too bad her reinforcements won't remain operational much longer. Communications, what's the status of Tiger two?"

"Our second team is nearly in postion, Maho" her radio operator confirmed. "They report being undetected."

"Excellent! The Tiger will destroy at least two of those worthless relics, forcing Miho to confront us directly with what little she has left." Maho grinned evilly, "And that decision, minna, will be the mistake that costs her the match."

"Are you certain about the location of her other tanks, Commander?" her gunner asked. "I can't spot any other Ooarai assets on my weapon's targeting scope, just Miho's Panzer."

"I have no doubt Miho has hidden them there. I carefully re-examined the tactics my sister employed during the finals against us, and the unorthodox method she used to defeat St. Gloriana during their latest exhibition match. I won't allow Kuromorimine to fall victim to Miho's cheap tricks again. Today, _I'm_ calling the shots, including the shot that will knock out her pathetic Panzer IV just a few minutes from now. Crew, be patient." Maho remembered the last radio call from her second-in-command and scowled, "Though Erika's negligence and inability to defeat that rookie team's under-gunned Panzer and the clumsy STuG it was teamed with is a serious loss of face for our school, make no mistake. Today we _will_ prevail."

. . . . .

A group of increasingly anxious teens crowded closely around the television set in Makoto's house had a birds-eye view of the large area of flatland east of the town, watching Makoto's Panzer power its way at maximum speed toward the ridge behind which Saunders' remaining three Shermans were sheltered.

"I hope our girls know that Kay's tanks are waiting for them" Ryo fretted. "They're headed straight into a trap."

"Hai" Taro agreed. "If they keep going, they'll get blasted by multiple rounds the second they reach the top of that hill. It'd be a real shame for their battle to end that way."

. . . . .

Out of viewing range of the nearest camera drone, the T34s of Katyusha and Nonna began setting the last stage of their own plan in motion. The Pravda machines had raced as far east as the battlefield boundaries would permit, then gained even more speed, running south on lower ground and using the undulating terrain to stay out of sight of their adversaries.

Katyusha's stern voice crackled in the headsets of every member of both crews. "I will tolerate no further mistakes when we engage Saunders this time! No more sloppy maneuvering or missed shots! The penalty for failure will be most severe! Is that clearly understood?"

" _Hai!"_

"I have Luna team on the radio, Katyusha" Nonna spoke. "They report their Panzer is nearing the ridge. Do you wish them to continue on?"

"No. Have them stop well back and be prepared to shoot in the direction of the hill. Our upcoming action will undoubtedly flush one of the Shermans loose, while we engage the two Saunders tanks nearest to us. Their task is to ensure it does not survive to reinforce Maho's Tigers, and I demand nothing less from them than a quick, efficient kill! Tell them that!"

"Understood. Relaying your orders now."

. . . . .

Behind the ridge, Kay stood on top of her Sherman's turret, just high enough to see past the rounded crest of the hill. "Those crazy rookies in that Panzer IV are still charging across the field straight at us! All tanks hold position and let 'em have it in their belly plating when they reach the top." She chuckled as she dropped into her turret, "I thought Miho would've trained her new girls better than that!"

"All tanks are signalling guns loaded and waiting to fire, Kay" her radio operator said. "This'll be easier than shooting fish in a barrel!"

"Hai! One bucket of deep-fried Ooarai Panzer, coming right up!" Kay exclaimed. "Served with a side of fries!"

"Or a side of Saunders' shells!" her gunner grinned.

"That's the tastiest kind!" the commander laughed.

. . . . .

Makoto heard Usagi's relayed instructions and told her driver, "Stop us here, Minako-chan. Ami-chan, angle your gun up until it just clears the top of that hill. Katyusha thinks we'll have a target to shoot at somewhere up there soon."

Her Panzer quickly braked to a halt. "Our gun is elevated, Mako-chan" Ami acknowledged a few seconds later. The blue-haired girl's right index finger gently caressed the smooth cold steel of her gun's trigger. "I'm ready to fire."

"Good. Now we wait. Or... do we?" A feeling of impending danger suddenly swept over the brunette and she began rapidly scanning the field around her Panzer through the narrow ports cut into the rim of her cupola.

. . . . .

Yuuichirou pointed at the tv screen and blurted, "Ha! Minna, there's two Pravda tanks creeping out of the bushes way back behind the Shermans!"

"This should be good" Haruka chuckled. "They caught Saunders with their pants down. Or their skirts, I suppose I should say."

"Mako-chan's tank is in trouble too!" Yuji suddenly groaned as the view from the drone widened. "There's a Tiger off to their right, moving fast towards Luna team!" The sixteen-year-old boy yelled at the screen, "Spot it, Mako honey! _Spot it before it's too late!"_

. . . . .

Loud booms from both T34's powerful guns echoed over the hilltop as their shells quickly laid waste to the rear armor of the first Sherman.

"White flag confirmed" Nonna calmly spoke. "One Sherman down."

" _Target the next tank in line!"_ Katyusha screamed into her microphone _. "Reload and fire immediately!"_

. . . . .

"Pravda's got the drop on us!" Kay's stunned voice warned her crew via intercom, the girl realizing she had become too fixated on killing the lone Ooarai Panzer. _"Both tanks! Full power!_ Drive across the top of the hill!" Her Sherman's huge radial engine roared and the tank leapt forward, its thrashing tracks clawing their way up the ridge.

"Miho's sneakiness must be rubbing off on Katyusha!" Saunders' embarrassed blonde commander fumed. "I should've known better than to let my guard down!"

. . . . .

" _Step on_ _it, Minako-chan!"_ Makoto suddenly bellowed, her eyes springing wide. _"Tiger on our-"_

Minako's hands and feet instantly became a blur and her Panzer began moving forward but before the Luna team's commander could finish her sentence, a shell from the approaching Kuromorimine tank impacted the lower rear armor of her tank's turret, jolting the Panzer hard. The tank's intercom immediately filled with panicked voices.

Startled by the painfully loud and unexpected impact, Usagi blurted, " _Ahhh! Someone shot us!"_

" _Are we out of it?"_ Rei gasped.

"We're still moving!" Makoto replied breathlessly. She squinted through the front viewport. "And I don't see a flag! We're still in this!"

Ami spun around in her seat. "Our turret is jammed, Mako-chan! It won't rotate left or right!"

"Try jiggling it back and forth, Ami-chan! We really need your gun!"

"Hai!"

"Which way, Mako-chan?" Minako called over the intercom. "We're still heading east towards that ridge, and my engine is at full power!"

"Keep going! We're climbing the hill! With our turret disabled it's our only chance to lose that Tiger!"

"Hai!" Minako kept the accelerator pedal pressed firmly to the floor. "But what about the Shermans on the other side?"

 _"To hell with the Shermans!_ Drive around them! _Drive over them if you have to!_ One more hit from that Tiger and we're finished!"

"Doing it!" Reaching the bottom of the ridge, Minako quickly declutched and shifted to a lower gear while her Panzer began tilting up the grade. "Minna, hang on!"

For a brief instant, Makoto's mind had a flashback to Ooarai's match against St. Gloriana. 'We were faking a damaged turret that day' she thought. 'But now it's really happening and this time we've got an angry Tiger on our tail!'

. . . . .

The teens in the house could scarcely believe their eyes, as the two Saunders tanks and Makoto's Panzer roared up opposite sides of the hill, reaching the crest of the ridge and momentarily becoming airborne at the same instant. Yuji held his breath as he watched his fiancee's tank pass tightly between the pair of speeding Shermans. "That was so close!" the boy gasped. "They almost collided!"

"Watching this match leaves me with mixed feelings, Haruka" Michiru remarked. "One moment it appears as a kind of mechanical ballet, and the next it takes on many of the characteristics of a Sailor Senshi battle. I had no idea Sensha-do was so intense!"

Her companion grabbed another handful of popcorn from her bowl. "It definitely isn't like auto racing, Michi-chan. At least out on the track we aren't trying to kill each other."

. . . . .

Another pair of shells burst from the barrels of Pravda's T34s, both narrowly missing Kay's Sherman as it dropped from sight beyond the hilltop.

"What is that Panzer doing?" Katyusha blurted, still standing with her upper body exposed above her T34 while Makoto's tank roared past. _"Ten days in the gulag for disobeying my direct order!"_

"They aren't students of our school, Commander" her loader chuckled. "You can't give them detention."

Her radio operator spoke, "The Ooarai tank reports a single Tiger I in the field beyond the ridge, Katyusha. The Panzer's turret is jammed and refuses to turn, so they have temporarily withdrawn."

"Pursue those Shermans!" Katyusha snapped at her driver. "We'll release a barrage from the high ground and kill them from there! Tell that Panzer to turn around and follow us!"

The girl at the radio objected, "But their gun-"

"They can aim it like Anzu's Hetzer!" Katyusha bellowed again, waving her arms wildly. "By angling their hull! _Must I do all the thinking around here?"_

"I shall instruct them to re-engage."

. . . . .

Now safely past the Saunders tanks, Makoto raised her head out of the turret and gave her damaged Panzer a quick visual once-over. "Our turret is stuck with the gun pointing straight ahead, Minako-chan. You'll be assisting Ami to aim it at targets from now on. Follow the T34s back up the hill but be ready to stop hard on my command."

"Helping Ami aim her gun isn't a problem for the best Panzer driver Luna team has ever had!" the blonde at the controls boasted, sharply pivoting her tank around with a firm pull on the left track's control lever.

"You're the _only_ driver we've ever had, baka!" Rei replied. "Except for that brief experiment with Ami during our first week of practice, but we won't talk about that."

The blue-haired gunner blushed red but Minako ignored the miko's verbal jab, gunning her Panzer up the back side of the ridge. "Don't worry yourself about that silly turret problem, Mako-chan. I'll point our gun exactly where Ami needs it to be. After all, I'm incredibly multi-talented, in every way you can imagine! And probably some ways you can't!" she giggled. "Just ask my Taro if you want examples!"

" _Examples?_ I'd rather not" the tall brunette shuddered. "Save that kind of talk for after the match, ok?"

"But I was just-"

"Shut up and drive, Minako-chan!"

. . . . .

**Chapter 21:**

As the match progressed, the two teenage Nishizumi sisters found themselves standing in their tank's turrets just over a kilometer apart, watching each other closely through their binoculars for any sign of movement.

"I honestly don't know what Maho is planning" Miho confessed to her crew. "This is so unlike anything Kuromorimine has ever done before."

"I think Maho is copying your style of Sensha-do, Nishizumi-dono" Yukari suggested. "You understand how your old school fights, so she's trying to use your tactics against us to confuse you."

"Maho? Copying _me?_ I can't imagine she would try to... unless..." She abruptly lowered her binoculars from her eyes. "You're absolutely right, Yukari! And now I'm sure I know where that missing Tiger is! Maho is playing the game our way and somehow guessed where I set my trap!" She told her radio operator, "Saori, set your communications channel to the frequency where I can talk to all the Ooarai tank commanders!"

The girl working the radio quickly spun a dial. "Done, Miho!"

"Attention Ambush Team!" Ooarai's commander spoke, a strong sense of urgency in her voice. "One of the Tigers is somewhere in the forest, trying to sneak up behind you! Forget our first plan, turn your tanks around and try to defend yourselves!"

The reply from Mallard's tank was immediate. "Understood, Miho! Turning to engage-"

A sudden blast from the Tiger's gun silenced Sono's reply for a moment. "Miho!" she blurted in panic. "Rabbit team's tank has been damaged! I still don't see the Tiger that shot her!"

"Azusa, how bad is it?" The Anglerfish commander asked, trying her best to sound calm and in control of the rapidly deteriorating situation. "Are you out of action?"

"No, but we lost a track, Commander!" the girl answered. "We can't maneuver to use our main weapon to shoot at the Tiger! We'll try to return fire with our turret gun but we still don't see where it is-"

A second shot rang out from somewhere deep in the the stand of birch and elm trees, accompanied a split-second later by a shrill clang resonating in Miho's headphones. "Sumimasen, Miho!" Azusa groaned. "They hit us again! We're out of the match!"

Another voice immediately followed, "Duck team has the Tiger in sight!" Noriko spoke. "Returning fire!" Their gun blazed back at the massive Kuromorimine tank as it slowly emerged from a dense tangle of bushes, but the team's commander told Miho a moment later, "Our round bounced off its front armor like a volleyball, Miho! We'll try again!"

"Their 57mm howitzer isn't strong enough to penetrate a Tiger's front armor, Nishizumi-dono" Yukari muttered. "They'll be done for if they engage it head-on!"

"Hai, I'm getting them out of there!" her commander replied. She squeezed her throat microphone. "Fall back towards my position, Duck and Anteater teams! We're on the way to cover your retreat! Mako, get us moving towards that rogue Tiger as fast as you can!"

"Hai." Anglerfish's driver smartly spun her Panzer towards the action and headed towards the wooded area, quickly pushing her engine to full power.

Before retreating, Anteater team's larger-caliber gun also lobbed a quick snap-shot at the Tiger. "We hit it!" Nekota blurted into her radio. "No effect, Miho! That thing's front armor is crazy strong! We're falling back now!"

. . . . .

"Tiger two reports one Ooarai tank down, Maho" the Kuramorimine lead tank's radio operator told her leader in short, crisp sentences. "The worthless M3 Lee is disabled. Their Tiger has been hit twice. Minor damage but they're still fully operational."

The waiting lead Tiger I's driver impatiently gunned her engine. "We're ready to finish off those two leftover ambush tanks on your command, Maho-san. We'll send them to the junkyard where they rightfully belong!"

"Not yet" the elder Nishizumi sister answered. "I'm reserving our tank's might for Miho's Panzer. I'm going to teach my sister a much-needed lesson today. We'll let the other Tigers take care of those last two Ooarai machines." She instructed her radio operator, "Call back Tiger three to assist Tiger two. When Ooarai's failed trap is eliminated, we'll move in hard and fast and wipe my sister's tank off the map with a multi-pronged blitz attack." Maho's lips curled into a sneer, "I've been waiting too long for this moment. Miho will soon be relegated to her rightful status as a soft, weak third-rate commander in a no-name school. And Kuromorimine will again stand alone at the pinnacle of Sensha-do excellence." She made a fist and thumped it against her cupola. " _Which is exactly where we belong!"_

. . . . .

At the ridge...

"Minako, stop here!" Luna team's commander ordered her driver.

"Hai!" The blonde at the controls promptly stood on the brake, skidding her tank to a halt near the very peak of the narrow ridge.

Having joined the two T34s, Makoto quickly assessed the situation from inside her cupola. "Minna, the Tiger that hit us is pulling back towards the treeline really fast!" she yelled in surprise above the roar of Pravda's two firing guns. The Saunders' machines replied from the open field with a pair of large-caliber shells of their own, the four shots whizzing past each other in mid-air. "Two kills! A Sherman is out, and... _damn it!_ They got Nonna's T34! I can see its flag!"

"There goes our best gun!" Rei groaned.

Katyusha's voice crackled loudly in Makoto's headset, "Ooarai Panzer, follow me down the hill! Target the remaining Sherman! _It must be destroyed now, for the honor of Pravda!"_

"Let's go, Minako-chan!" the brunette spoke. "Keep us pointed straight at that Sherman!" She instantly changed her mind. "No! That won't work! Try to drive us past it then spin us around so Ami can hit their rear armor! It's our best chance!"

"I'm all over it, Mako-chan!" Her driver shifted into top gear and stood on the accelerator, sending her Panzer careening downhill. "Give me ten seconds to get in position!"

"We may not have that long" Rei muttered. "Floor it, Minako-chan!"

"I already am!" Minako giggled. "Minna, I _live_ for times like this!"

Kay's tank fired again as the last T34 and Makoto's tank raced down the grade side-by-side, the Sherman's round tossing a huge cloud of dirt into the air in the narrow gap between Red team's charging tanks.

Usagi gasped as stones ricocheted of the hull beside her, "That sounded _way_ too close! _Minna, do something!"_

"We're working on it" Makoto muttered grimly. "Ami-chan, any luck with the stuck turret?"

"Still jammed tight, Mako-chan. I'll probably have time for just one straight-on shot before they return fire. I'll do my best to make it count."

Reaching level ground, the short-barreled Panzer IV continued hurtling forward while the T34 slowed, soon charging past the Saunders tank as its gun blazed again, still aimed at the nearby Pravda tank.

Makoto twisted her neck around to peer through the rear-facing viewport. "Katyusha's tank was hit! The Sherman was too! I don't see any flags yet! _Turn us now, Minako-chan!"_ She braced herself against her cupola's steel frame, knowing Luna team's Panzer was now well within lethal killing range of the American tank's powerful gun.

"Here we go!" The blonde in the driver's seat braked hard to shed most of her forward momentum, then reapplied full power while yanking her right control stick all the way back. Her tank's left track spun wildly on the grass, then dug into the soft earth beneath, propelling the Panzer into the start of a dizzyingly-tight one hundred and eighty degree turn. "I'll give you a big target to shoot at, Ami-chan!" Minako promised. "Just watch an expert at work!"

Another pair of shells ripped through the air between the duelling Sherman and the T34, with both rounds striking deeply home.

"Katyusha is out of action!" Makoto yelled in disbelief as the skirmish in the field neared its climax. "It's up to us to finish Saunders! Do your best, Minako-chan!"

"You want good driving?" the blonde replied, her blue eyes narrowing. " _I'll give you good driving!"_ True to her word, Minako finished her turn and halted her machine with less than five meters between Makoto's tank and Kay's, her Panzer sitting directly behind the Sherman and its gun pointed at the center of the enemy tank's engine compartment. " _Now, Ami-chan!"_

Ami held her breath and squeezed the trigger. " _Firing!"_

The blue-haired girl's weapon instantly thundered, with a spurt of flame and stream of smoke following the shell from its muzzle while the gun's breech recoiled violently back between Ami and Rei. Luna team's Panzer unleashed its armor-piercing payload directly at the engine bay of the last operational Saunders tank.

. . . . .

Ninety seconds later...

"I have the Tiger in my crosshairs, Miho" Hana spoke, her soft voice still sounding remarkably composed despite the unnerving sight in her viewport. In the distance the Kuromorimine tank's long gun barrel began swinging rapidly towards her Panzer. "I'm taking the shot."

Only one Ooarai tank remained alive of the three in Miho's initial ambush plan, and the Anteater team's Chi-Nu valiantly added its 75mm shell to the impromptu assault by Miho's Panzer IV.

"Two hits! No kill!" Miho told her crew moments later. "Mako, we need to get a lot closer to really hurt them!"

"Hai." The petite driver expertly steered the Anglerfish tank between two tall stout trees, accelerating as fast as she dared towards the competing school's massive machine. The tree on her right exploded into fragments as they roared past, taking the shell meant for their Panzer IV.

Miho felt her tank sharply turn and watched the Kuromorimine tank loom large in her viewport. "Try to bring us within- _There's the_ _second Tiger!" she gasped. "It's on your left, Mako!"_

"I'll drive between them, Miho-san."

The newly-recalled Tiger's gunner smiled evilly as she pulled her trigger, marking the moment with a booming blast from its heavy gun and a loud metallic thud as the round struck its target. An eyeblink later another white flag sprang from its compartment ending the day's match for Anteater team.

"Two Tigers against one Panzer" Miho breathed, speaking so softly that most of her teammates didn't notice the deep disappointment in her voice. "I failed with my strategy and I failed in my command. Maybe Maho was right after all." She thought of her beloved Yusei, remembering her boy's sweet, encouraging smile, and felt a sudden rush of courage well up inside her fast-beating heart. "Bring us close to that first Tiger, Mako! As close as you can get! _If we go down, we're taking it with us!_ "

" _Hai!"_

. . . . .

**Chapter 22:**

As her Panzer gained speed, Yukari said, "I respectfully disagree, Nishizumi-dono. You _didn't_ fail, and you're still the best Sensha-do commander in the whole world! This match isn't over, because I still have my special good-luck round and we'll be using it against your sister's tank real soon."

Miho smiled at her close friend who still remained loyal and supportive to her until the very end. "Arigatou, Yukari. But the odds are definitely against us. We'll know soon if we can improve them."

Hana kept her gun trained on the first Tiger, adjusting her aim with gentle nudges on the control handle as her Panzer raced ever-closer while the loader inside the enemy tank scrambled to rearm her gun.

. . . . .

"With that Chi-Nu out of action only Miho's tank stands between us and victory now!" Mako encouraged her crew. "It's time for us to end this debacle. Driver, follow the Panzer's path into the forest, where I'll teach my sister a lesson she'll _never_ forget!"

'Hai! Let's kill that Panzer!" The Tiger I's engine roared, shoving the heavy Kuromorimine machine forward in pursuit of the distant Ooarai tank.

. . . . .

At the same time over in the tank-strewn field, Katyusha clambered down from her disabled T34 and stormed over to Kay's nearby Sherman. Saunders' commander watched the girl approach, opened her hatch and popped up from the turret, sporting a big grin.

"Wasn't that fun?" the blonde laughed. "Not to mention ironic! Two commanders killing each other and ending the match for both of our schools!"

Katyusha stood beside the Sherman, scowling up at the other girl. " _Fun? Bah! How dare you defeat my glorious T34 with that inferior Sherman!"_

"Um... isn't that what I was supposed to do?" Kay giggled. "Anyway, your tank and that Panzer killed my tank too, so that makes us even."

The furious Pravda commander angrily kicked a clump of dirt at the Saunders tank. "We will _never_ be even! I won't forget this humiliation, Kay-san! You were merely lucky today! Dumb luck, that's all it was!"

"Chill out, Katyusha. After all, one side has to lose, and after Maho knocks out Miho's tank, you can get mad at Blue team all over again at the post-match party tonight!" Kay reached into her turret and tossed a red and silver can at the feet of the short-statured girl. "Here. Have a Coke on me."

"You dare insult me with this?" Katyusha fumed, bending over and snatching up the can. "Of all the nerve!"

"Go on, drink it. Your voice sounds a little dry. Probably from screaming at your crews all day!" Kay grinned.

The diminuitive teen glared evilly up at the other commander. "Very well. I shall." She popped open the can, only to have the soda inside gush out and spray the front of her uniform with sticky liquid.

"Gomen! I guess you should've let it settle first!" Kay laughed.

In a fit of rage Katyusha promptly flung the can at the Sherman, bouncing it off its hull. She spun around and stormed back to her tank, muttering about a week in the gulag for everyone on her school's team.

. . . . .

Mako raced her Panzer up to the Tiger, abruptly stopping so close to it that the muzzle of her tank's gun nearly touched the opposing machine.

Hana immediately pulled her trigger, blasting the front of the Tiger's turret. The round burrowed deep into the thick armor with incredible force before the stunned Kuromorimine gunner could react.

Mako revved her engine, sprinting away just as the second Tiger fired. Its shell whooshed behind the Panzer IV with centimeters to spare, striking the first Tiger instead of Miho's tank and raising its white flag.

"Minna, one Tiger down by friendly fire!" Miho cheered, scarcely believing her luck. "Reload, Yukari! Keep us moving, Mako!"

"Hai!" The curly-haired loader slid another round into the breech. "Why are we slowing down?"

"Too many trees this way" Mako muttered, pivoting the Panzer from side to side in a desperate attempt to find a sufficiently wide gap to pass through. "I can't maneuver away from the other Tiger, Miho. There isn't enough clearance."

Enraged at the loss of her teammate's tank by her own careless hand, the second Tiger's gunner viciously yanked on her control handle, traversing her turret towards the penned-in Ooarai tank. "Three more seconds and Ooarai is finished!" she vowed.

Hana also spun her turret towards the Kuromorimine tank as quickly as it could turn, knowing that her Panzer's slower traversal speed made her attempt all but futile. "They'll hit us first, Miho!"

The brown-haired teen sighed, well aware of her gunner's crippling disadvantage. "I guess this is how it ends." Miho heard the expected deafeningly loud boom of a gun, awaiting the jarring impact of a direct hit. But moments later, she was stunned to spy black smoke pouring from the rear of the Tiger, its turret abruptly grinding to a halt.

The young Ooarai commander stared at the white flag above it in utter astonishment. " _Nani? How...?"_

From the trees behind the knocked-out Tiger another familiar Panzer appeared, a crescent moon adorning both sides of its turret. Makoto's voice filled her headphones.

"Remember us, Miho-san?"

Miho grinned, "How on earth did you get back here so quickly, Makoto-san? I thought we were finished!"

"One word" the tall brunette chuckled. "Minako."

"I should have known!" Miho laughed. "Arigatou! Thank your driver for me, Makoto-san! And your gunner too! That shot Ami made was perfectly placed!"

The driver's hatch momentarily opened on Luna team's approaching tank and a hand appeared, Minako's fingers forming a vee-for-victory sign.

"We've still got problems, Miho-san" Makoto again spoke over the radio. "Our turret won't turn after we were hit and we spotted Mako's Tiger heading your way."

"We'll attack her together" Miho replied, feeling fresh new hope within. "At least with two Panzers we still have a decent chance of winning this match!"

. . . . .

Hearing the unexpected and stunning radio reports of defeat from her two dead Tigers, Maho cursed, angrily slapping the side of her cupola. " _How could this happen? Kuromorimine has the superior machines and all the best crews! Those damned upstart rookies are to blame for this!"_

"Should we keep going and engage the Panzers in the forest, Commander?" her driver cautiously asked, her earlier optimism now gone. "Apparently, Lady Luck isn't on our side today."

"No. Abandon the assault. Take us into the open field as fast as our Tiger will go" Maho muttered. "We'll finish this match the old-fashioned way and pick off those two Ooarai tanks from long range with our vastly superior firepower." She snapped an order to her gunner, "Point your weapon to the rear. Plan on knocking out that meddling rookie Panzer first, then we can deal with my sister at our leisure."

"As you wish, commander."

Our school's honor is at stake" she warned the girl. "Ooarai must not win! Do not fail me!"

"I won't let you down, Maho. Those Ooarai Panzers are as good as dead."

. . . . .

**Chapter 23:**

Miho's Panzer followed behind Makoto's tank, wending their way through a narrow path between the trees until eventually reaching the open field.

"There's Maho's Tiger" the brunette spoke into her microphone as Minako halted the Panzer. "She's stopped about a kilometer from here. It's almost like she wants us to make the first move."

Miho replied on the radio, "That's a standard Kuromorimine tactic they use when they find themselves outnumbered, Makoto-san. As soon as one of us tries to approach her tank, Maho will shoot from maximum range. Her shells can reach us long before we're able to close within our guns' optimum range of her Tiger."

"Her gun is that powerful?"

"Hai. But there _is_ one tactic we can use. It will only work if we have really good drivers" Miho spoke. She smiled, "Which shouldn't be a problem, considering Mako and Minako are the two best drivers in our school."

Minako turned around in her seat and beamed at Ami. "Did you hear that compliment, Ami-chan? I'm officially in the Ooarai top two!"

"We _all_ heard it" Rei grumbled. "And if we somehow survive this battle, something tells me we'll never _stop_ hearing about it, Minako-chan."

"Of course you won't!" Minako giggled.

"So... how do you propose we do this, Miho-san?" Makoto pondered, trying to ignore her boasting blonde driver. "My turret is still stuck facing forward."

"That shouldn't be too much of an issue, Makoto-san. I'm calling this plan 'Divide and Conquer'. Miho quickly outlined her strategy to the crews of both Panzers. "It's not guaranteed to work, but I can't think of a better option. So let's try it and find out. Minna, good luck! Oh, and thank you, Luna team. Your performance today is a big part of why we're still in the match."

"Luna isn't done yet, Miho" Makoto spoke, the brunette's words laced with determination. "Even with a busted turret. Ok, Minako-chan. Show us what you're really got! Hit that gas pedal!"

. . . . .

Maho stood brazenly exposed above her Tiger's turret, grinning wickedly as the two Ooarai Panzers suddenly began charging in single file towards her position with Makoto's tank still in the lead. "Here they come, crew. Like little lambs to slaughter."

Her gunner centered her sights on Luna team's short-barreled Panzer, resting her finger lightly on the trigger. "They're making this way too easy, Commander! They aren't even zig-zagging! Your sister must be feeling desperate, trying for a quick kill."

"Desperate and sloppy. Open fire on those rookies at maximum range" Maho ordered. She shook her head and laughed, "Is that really the best Ooarai can do? It's pathetic! Miho is even worse at tactics than I had imagined!"

The charging Panzers soon reached their top speed, narrowing the gap as quickly as they possibly could.

The Tiger's gunner adjusted her weapon's elevation slightly lower, expertly leading the first Panzer. "Firing in three... two... one..." But just before her finger tightened on the trigger the tanks sharply parted, with Luna team angling left and Anglerfish's tank heading right. The Koromorimine shell harmlessly cratered the ground between them.

"Nani?" the gunner blurted. "I _missed?"_

"Target Miho's long-barreled Panzer!" Mako snapped at the stunned gunner. "That's our biggest threat! That other tank with its puny gun is just a toy to us!"

"Hai!" The Tiger's powerful gun began to swing right.

. . . . .

The teens at Makoto's house were all out of their seats, clustering closely around the television. "I'm no Sensha-do expert, but it looks to me like Ooarai is taking a huge gamble" Yuji murmured, crossing his fingers on both hands. "They're really playing with fire."

"It's a lot like auto racing, Yuji-chan" Haruka chuckled. "Sometimes, when the race is nearly over and you're running far behind the leader, you have to throw caution to the wind and let it all hang out."

"They're certainly doing that!" Taro exclaimed, his eyes wide. "I almost don't want to see what happens next but I can't look away!"

"In this instance we are one and the same, Taro-chan" Michiru smiled. "The phrase 'sitting on pins and needles' comes to mind."

"More like 'on long sharp nails' in my case" Yuuichirou grinned. "I'm getting more grey hairs from watching this than when Rei drives on the expressway!"

. . . . .

Seven hundred meters from her sister's Tiger, Miho watched closely as its gun turned towards her Panzer. " _Now Mako! Hard right!"_

The Anglerfish tank abruptly heeled towards the Tiger as it fired, the shell whistling breathtakingly close past its turret. Hana returned fire, striking the Kuromorimine tank's upper hull.

She frowned, "It didn't penetrate the armor, Miho."

"That's ok, Hana! We'll need to shoot them more than once to take a Tiger out!"

Becoming annoyed by the strike on her Tiger, Maho told her driver, "Move us forward at low speed. That should prevent them from hitting us so easily again." Having dropped into her cupola, she checked on the location of the second Panzer. "The rookie tank is still too far away to concern us. Gunner, I expect you to hit your target next time! Fire when ready!"

"Zig zag, Mako!" Miho spoke. "And stop closing on them!"

"Hai." The girl at the controls began vigorously working her track levers forward and back, trying to make her direction changes as random and as unpredictable as possible as she gradually turned her Panzer away from the enemy tank.

Another shot blazed from the Tiger, once again narrowly missing the Ooarai Panzer.

 _"Have you gone blind?"_ Maho fumed at her flustered gunner. "If they get much closer, they could get lucky and damage us!"

"They're breaking off, Commander!" her driver spoke. "Should we pursue?"

"No! That would leave the rear of our hull exposed to that other Panzer! Maintain your current path and speed!"

. . . . .

"Now, Minako-chan! Straight at 'em with everything you've got!" Makoto blurted. "Don't forget you're doing most of our gun's aiming now!"

"I'm on it!" The blonde with the red bow in her hair swung Luna team's Panzer to point directly at the Tiger, standing on the accelerator pedal so hard, she lifted herself out of her seat. " _Faster, my big steel stallion!"_ she urged her tank. _"Let Momma Minako hear your engine scream like its never screamed before!"_

"Again with the momma talk!" Rei muttered above the engine's bellowing roar. "Minako is really starting to scare me. And I'm not talking about how she drives."

"Me too, Rei-chan!" Usagi gasped. "I'm glad Taro can't hear her talk like that!"

"I'm sure he does, Usagi-chan. A lot. Remember, Minako's bedroom in Mako-chan's house is next to mine." The miko sighed, "You wouldn't believe the things I've heard..."

"That's right, it is! Hehe!" Blushing at the thought, Usagi reached for the trigger of her machine gun and waited for Ami to fire her main weapon.

. . . . .

"Miho's tank is nearly out of our gun's most effective range, Commander."

"She's running away and abandoning her teammates. How cowardly of her" Maho scoffed. "An embarrassment to the family name-"

Her words were cut off by the boom of Luna team's gun and the sharp clang of a shell glancing off the Tiger's thick right-side armor. Maho turned to peer through her cupola's viewport, momentarily ducking as bullets from Usagi's machine gun began pattering against the turret.

" _Damn those rookies!_ Gunner, target the tank approaching from our right! _And this time, kill it!"_

_. . . . ._

_"Break off now, Minako-chan!"_

_"Breaking off!"_

The Panzer turned sharply right, changing direction before the Kuromorimine tank returned fire. Its gunner corrected her aim and squeezed the trigger back tight, while far off to the Tiger's left, Mako again turned her Panzer towards Maho's machine, racing towards the massive Tiger one last time.

"My lucky shell is loaded, Nishizumi-dono" Yukari confirmed. "Our gun is ready."

Saori looked up from her radio. "You've got this, Hana. Make it count."

. . . . .

The harsh, jarring impact of the Tiger's shell shook Ami's hand from her weapon's trigger. " _Mako-chan, I think they hit our gun barrel!"_

One glance forward by the brunette confirmed the blue-haired girl's fears. "Hai, the barrel is crushed, Ami-chan! Don't shoot again! Rei-chan, unload the weapon!"

"Unloading!"

Makoto grumbled, "First the turret got stuck, now our gun is wrecked. I'm surprised we're still moving." She activated her microphone. "Miho-san, Luna's gun is disabled. Sumimasen."

"Understood. Try to keep the Tiger distracted as much as possible, Makoto-san. We're running in for our final attack now."

. . . . .

"We hit the rookies' Panzer but their condition is uncertain" the Tiger's gunner told Maho. "I think their gun may be damaged."

"Hit them again! _Finish them!"_

"Hai!"

. . . . .

"Zig zag towards the Tiger, Minako-chan! And keep your speed up! We need to buy Miho more time!"

The tired and wounded Panzer IV circled left, giving its all to the five teenage girls riding within its old hull. The tank thrashed wildly to and fro, gradually drawing near Kuromorimine's sole remaining tank.

The Tiger's potent weapon shifted to match the gyrating Panzer, its operator hesitating to ensure a clean kill.

"I'll shoot when they begin reversing direction!" the weapon's gunner exclaimed. She waited a few seconds, then a few seconds more, watching the tank began to pivot before finally unleashing her gun's high-caliber round.

The shell struck near the engine compartment of Makoto's tank with an ear-splitting crash when it was only a hundred yards away. Minako felt the engine lose power, then heard it rattle and die. The Panzer clattered to a stop, its white flag extended and pointing towards the bright blue sky above.

. . . . .

"The rookie tank is out of action, Maho-san!" the Tiger's gunner yelled triumphantly.

"And about time! Target Miho's Panzer and finish her off with one shot!"

Maho spun around in her cupola to spot the Ooarai tank and gasped as the onrushing Anglerfish Panzer loomed large in her viewing window, its gun barrel aimed directly at her engine compartment.

" _Driver, accelerate-"_

_Boom!_

The round that Yukari had written upon and vowed would disable Maho's Tiger did exactly that, ripping through the relatively thin ventilation shroud above the tank's powerplant and driving deep into the engine's cylinder block, sending pieces of hot metal flying in all directions. A cloud of oily black smoke arose from the rear of the Tiger like a funeral pyre, signalling the demise of Kuromorimine's last tank and ending the final skirmish of the match.

"White flag on the Tiger" Hana spoke from behind her gunner's scope. "It's over, Miho!"

"You won, Nishizumi-dono! You beat your sister! _Again!_ " Yukari sprang from her seat and flung her arms around her brown-haired commander's waist. "I knew my lucky shell would work! Congratulations!"

" _I_ didn't win the match, Yukari" Miho smiled shyly at her loader. "We _all_ did. Every girl on Red team shares in the victory today."

. . . . .

Epilogue:

Later that evening, and with the post-match party in full swing, Kino Makoto shook her head at Usagi as the blonde walked up to their table. Smiling happily, the odango-haired girl sat beside her team beneath the curved metal roof of the giant prefabricated structure that served as Saunders' party building.

" _More_ cheeseburgers, Usagi-chan?"

"Just two, Mako-chan! I'll go back to the food truck later for fries!"

"You're going to make yourself sick again" Rei muttered. "Remember how awful you felt this morning?"

"That was then and this is now, Rei-chan! I haven't eaten a single bite in _hours!_ So stop nagging me!"

Across the table from Makoto and her Luna teammates, Anzu spoke up from her seat between Momo and Yuzu, "Save room for dessert, Usagi-san. The chocolate cake Saunders serves is delicious. Or did you already know that?" she laughed.

"Hai, I did, and that's my next stop after the fries!" Usagi grinned at the Ooarai Student Council President before taking a huge bite of her burger. " _Mmm! So tasty!"_

Another song began playing in the background and Momo frowned deeply as Miho and the girls of Anglerfish team left their table where they had been sitting beside their boyfriends. She watched the five couples hold hands while they walked onto the dance floor, each girl gathering her guy close in a tender embrace and beginning to sway gently together to the slow, romantic melody.

"What kind of song is that, Ami-chan?" Usagi asked the teen sitting beside her. "It sounds really old-fashioned, but kind of nice."

"This particular song _is_ quite old, Usagi-chan. It's a style of music that was very popular a long time ago, back in the day when our tanks were brand new."

"Isn't this referred to as big band music, Ami-chan?" Rei asked. "I think I heard something like it before in an old Hollywood movie on tv."

"Hai, you're exactly right, Rei-chan" the blue-haired girl nodded. "If I remember correctly, the name of this tune is 'Moonlight Serenade' and it was performed by a band lead by a famous American musician. I believe his name was... um... Glenn Miller."

"Is there _anything_ you don't know a whole lot about, Ami-chan?" Makoto chuckled, teasing her blushing friend. "I feel like I'm sitting beside that famous scientist Alfred Einstein!"

"Um... that would be _Albert_ Einstein, Mako-chan" Ami smiled. "But Alfred was close."

"I give up!" the brunette laughed. She glanced around the large packed room. "I do know one thing. This party isn't anything like that dull St. Gloriana shore party we went to. For starters, there's a lot more teenage boys here."

"Especially the five boys who matter most, Mako-chan!" Minako exclaimed, gesturing toward the busy dance floor. "Just look at our happy couples dancing and cuddling!"

Makoto turned to face the direction the blonde was pointing, spotting Yukari and Ryoto within the midst of the crowd. The young couple's eyes were closed and they held each other with their bodies pressed snugly together, bright smiles of pure joy on their faces as they slowly moved from side to side in time to the rhythm of the music.

"I wish my Yuji was dancing with me here tonight" the brunette sighed. "There are no words in any language to describe just how much I miss him."

"Your boyfriend couldn't make it to the match today, Makoto-san?" Yuzu asked. "That's a shame. I'm sure he would have enjoyed watching you compete."

"He's... uh... he lives just outside of Nerima, Yuzu-san. Near Tokyo. A very long distance away from here."

"That would be a lengthy journey for him" Anzu agreed. "Maybe he can join you for our next exhibition match, Makoto-san."

"It would be great if he could!" Makoto grinned.

"Minna, do you know what I'm thinking right now?" Minako smiled, spotting Miho and Yusei sharing a tender kiss while they danced together.

"With that one-track mind of yours, I'm not sure we _want_ to know, Minako-chan" Rei shuddered. "Am I going to want a cigarette after I hear what you have to say?"

"No, silly!" the blonde giggled. "It isn't about my honey muffin! I was just thinking that the Anglerfish girls and their guys are ready for Phase Three! Hai, they're _more_ than ready!"

"Phase three, Minako-san?" Yuzu puzzled. "What do you mean?"

" _Oh!_ Uh... well... um..." The blonde hesitated, then whispered, "Guess what? Mako-chan's lover boy isn't here but _someone_ is joining us! There's a really cute guy coming over to our table!"

The teenage male in question slowly walked up to Minako and shyly spoke, "Um... please excuse me, miss. I was wondering if... if you'd like to dance."

"I'm afraid I must decline" Minako answered with a sweet smile. "But only because I already have a boyfriend, and it wouldn't feel right to dance with another guy. Most of the other girls at this table have boyfriends too."

"Oh. Sumimasen" the boy blushed. "I had no idea." He bowed politely, "I'm very sorry to have intruded."

The blonde reached out and grasped his arm as he began to turn away. "Wait! Don't go anywhere yet!"

"Nani? But..."

"I happen to know that there are _three_ girls sitting right here who happen to be unattached." Minako wiggled her index finger at the Student Council members across the table from her. "Why don't you ask one of them to dance?"

"Hontou? Uh... sure!" His bright blue eyes flitted between the three girls before quickly settling on the tall thin Public Relations manager.

"Miss... would you mind if I ask you to-"

" _Me?"_ Momo gasped in shock. " _Me?_ You want to dance with _me?"_

"Uh... hai. If you don't-"

Momo promptly sprang from her chair, scurried around the table and latched tightly onto the boy's arm. "Ok! I'll dance with you! Hai! Let's do this! By the way, my name is Kawashima Momo! What's yours?" She briskly escorted the teen onto the dance floor where they disappeared into the crowd.

"That was... rather unexpected" Makoto grinned.

Anzu looked up at the taller Vice President and sighed wistfully. "Isn't it always this way for us, Yuzu? Always the bridesmaid, never the bride."

" _Never_ say never!" Minako exclaimed. "The night is still young, and I'm just getting warmed up! Did you know that I'm not just a skilled Panzer driver? I happen to be the world's greatest matchmaker too!"

Rei looked at Makoto and sighed. "Here we go again."

. . . . . . . . . .


End file.
